RDC dissolves council, mulls Metro Cebu board

The Capitol’s efforts to mobilize Metro Cebu local government units (LGUs) went into effect with yesterday’s dissolution of the Metro Cebu Development Council (MCDC).

The Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-7) approved a resolution that dissolved the council.

In its place, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia presented a resolution to recognize the Metro Cebu Development Coordination Board (MCDCB).

“Rest assured we are proceeding with our development plans with utmost care and not for the whimsical fancies of some politicians,” said Garcia, the RDC vice chairperson.

The governor was referring to arch critic, Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district.

Osmeña opposed the inclusion of Cebu City in the board, saying it will place the city under the Capitol’s control.

But Mayor Rama joined other Cebu mayors in signing an agreement supporting the creation of the board.

The board’s membership is expanded to include civil society, the academe and non-government organizations (NGOs).

Fr. Margarito Alingasa, a representative of the Church sector, asked that the board be given “a clear organizational framework.”

Alingasa also proposed that the board be free of political interventions and run by a “professional administrative body with total accountability that’s not subject to the whimsical fancies of the LGUs.”

Garcia said that the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation (RAFI) which is among the MCDMB’s private sector members was tasked to draft the board’s operational framework.

She said the board will solicit the cooperation of its members. Garcia said the board was created with the “mutual agreement” of participating LGUs.

The RDC created the MCDC “to coordinate the actions of LGUs in Metro Cebu and the national government agencies in dealing with metro-wide concerns” in 1997.

It consisted of the Province of Cebu and the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu Lapu, Talisay and Naga and the municipalities of Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, Cordova and Minglanilla.

However, Garcia said the MCDC became inactive from Sept. 2002 to July 2005. In 2005, the RDC through MCDC’s recommendation expanded the coverage of Metro Cebu to include Danao City in the north, San Fernando town and Carcar City in the south.

The inclusion of more members meant the payment of one-fourth of one percent of the LGU’s Internal Revenue Allotment share as membership fee.

But Garcia said the Metro Cebu council never became fully operational due to opposition from some LGUs.

Last April 12, the Metro Cebu council members signed an agreement to establish the Metro Cebu Development Coordination Board (MCDCB).

Garcia said the goal was to achieve an integrated, inclusive and sustained development of Metro Cebu. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac